RT reports:
Russia is creating a new command for the armed forces to defend Russia’s strategic interests in the Arctic region, based on the present Northern Fleet Navy division and include various existing Arctic-based military units as well as new formations.
The HQ will be named the Northern Fleet – Joint Strategic Command, and its main task will be to defend Russia’s national interest in the Arctic, the Itar-Tass news agency reported Monday, quoting an unnamed source in the Russian General Staff.
The protection of national interests includes both the security of military and merchant ships and of the vast mineral resources of the region, including those located on the Arctic shelf, the source said.
The new command will be similar in status to the existing unit of the territorial division of the Russian military forces – the military district. However, while it bears a different name, the number of military districts will remain the same – there are currently four of them. The Northern Fleet Strategic Command will report to the General Staff and the Defense Minister at first and by the end of 2014 future it will become subject to the National Center of Defense Command the new military structure that is currently in development.
Russia is seeking to secure and reinforce its military presence in the Arctic for some time now, after other nations started to express interest in the regions vast resources. The Basic Concept of State Policy in the Arctic, approved in 2009, outlined the creation of a dedicated military force as a primary objective.
In December 2013, Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said at the ministry collegium that the Arctic group of forces will be created in 2014. Soon after that the minister ordered the general staff to develop a set of instructions on restoration of the Arctic bases and deployment of new forces to the region.
President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly stated the importance of the Arctic region and the necessity to pay major attention to their defense.
Last month, Putin ordered the head of the Russian arms industry, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, to concentrate the efforts on creation of Arctic infrastructure for the soonest deployment of troops. Rogozin reported that all Russian weapons systems can be produced with special features needed in the extreme North and the weapons companies were ready to supply such arms to the Defense Ministry.
In 2012, Rogozin said in a public speech that Russia might lose its sovereignty in about 40 years if it fails to clearly set out its national interests in the Arctic.
However, not all Russian officials share this position. Also in 2012, a representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Aleksandr Gorban, told reporters that that there will never be a “war for resources” – or an even “hotter” conflict – in the Arctic Region.
Saker Message:
@War for resources…
Wouldn’t be the securing of the Northern Sea Route the main objective of Russia?
The Northern Sea Route and the fast railways between China and Europe would make the “Asian pivot” (ment to strangle the sea communications of China) almost irrelevant. I remember with relish arguing (long ago) with friends the many pluses of the “eurasian” approach. Against their opinions (invariably eurolâtres and américanolâtres) and anti-russo-chinese, I was reminding them that the communications between China and Russia and Europe are mainly terrestrials. The Russian petrol could be transported by rail, by road (even by camels) and certainly by Northern Sea Route.
The future is of Eurasia.
WizOz
@WizOz:Wouldn’t be the securing of the Northern Sea Route the main objective of Russia?
That is definitely a major objective. But the overall strategic goal is even bigger than that – it is the develop the Russian North from the European part of Russia, through all of Siberia. Therein lies the real future of Russia, the North, and its immense resources including those who will see a huge surge in demand during the 21st century: water, organic foodstuffs, bioengineering resources, tourism and, of course, energy. The untapped wealth of the Russian North is huge, absolutely immense, but it will also require tremendous efforts and resources to actually convert that into a real source of wealth for the Russian people. Putin has started this effort, but it will take decades before the returns on investment really begin coming in. What is much more immediately doable is to create a network of cities along the northern coast of Russia with ports, airfields, roads and a modern infrastructure – this will achieve the double purpose of securing the Northern Sea Route and prepare for a “penetration” of the immense landmass of northern Russia.
And if Russia turns in face to the East, it will show its butt to Europe which, imnsho, deserves nothing more.
Cheers, WizOz, and thanks for being here :-)
The Saker
@butt to Europe…
Ha,ha, I was telling my friends exactly the same thing. They were, of course , of the opinion that without Europe Russia is f…d. I was saying no, Eu is f… without Russia. I was quoting them what happened after WWI when Europe was boycotting the Bolsheviks. A Commission of Western industrialists, bankers, submitted to the Powers that the reconstruction of Europe would be inconceivable without the resources of Russia. In no time economic relations resumed despite the Bolshevism.
I tell you a little story from my extreme youth. A family friend of my parents, knowing my interest in all matters historical and philosophical gave me some notes of his father, a university professor who developed a very personal theory of history’s cycles, salvaged from the bombardments of 1944 in Bucharest, when the Professor himself died. We were pondering over a mysterious phrase: from 2000 onwards we enter into the “Polar round”. The only explanation we could come about was that he ment that it will be the time of a move of the center of “history” to Siberia. That was in the ’60s.
Cheers,
WizOz
Bit off topic, but you will be pleased to hear that a fairly far-right millionaire commentator (Taki) writing in the UK Spectator and also in his own magazine is totally anti-takfiri and very pro-Putin. Hopefully a sign of shifting sands, See:http://www.spectator.co.uk/life/high-life/9136351/taki-all-the-hysterics-about-boycotts-and-terrorism-at-the-sochi-olympics-were-just-hypocritical-sensationalism-by-pc-jerks/
Best,
Gordon.
Yep, saw that.
Quite significant.
You really should follow this forum:
http://www.russiadefence.net/
Cheers,
K
This one talks about possible collusion of the SAA and ISIS, a lot like Algeria
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2561511/Brutality-Syrian-opposition-group-ISIS-revealed-undercover-video-shows-14-men-blindfolded-shot-freshly-dug-graves.html
Mindfriedo